Introduction

The source, characteristics, indication and pharmacological action of 433 kinds of common-used Chinese medicines are described briefly and concisely in this handbook. Under the topic of indication, a summary of the conventional description is presented and recent development of clinical application is also covered. The recent achievements of the scientific studies on Chinese medicines are summarized under the topic of pharmacologic action. More-over, the characteristics of the medicinal components are described in more details in order to help the readers to discriminate the quality of medicines and to differentiate the sham from the genuine medicines. This handbook not only adheres to the unique theory of traditional Chinese medicine but also assimilates some data of modern scientific research, and serves as a reference book for researchers, physicians, teachers, pharmacists and medical students.

PREFACE

Chinese material medica is the natural therapeutic agent used under the guidance of the theories of traditional Chinese medicine. Its sources are mainly from plants, some from animals and minerals, and a few from chemical drugs and biologic products.

It has been more than two thousand years since the publication of the first treatise of Chinese pharmacy- " Shennong"s Herbology of Chinese Materia Medica¡±. Now no less than one thousand works on Chinese materia medica have been published, which have played an important role in the prevention and treatment of disease in China and other countries. Nowadays more and more countries pay attention to Chinese traditional medicine and pharmacy. In the last one hundred years, although western medicine has developed rapidly and superseded the national and folk medicines of most countries, Chinese materia medica still stands steadily in the pharmaceutical field in the world and has demonstrated its great vitality because of its firm clinical foundation, significant therapeutic effects and specific system of theory based on clinical practice. In the long history of its development, Chinese materia medica has absorbed the virtues of national and folk medicines from other countries, and from western medicine as well, and has consequently been enriched and perfected. Now it is developing more rapidly than at any time in the past.

The Chinese-English Manual of Common-Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine briefly describes the characteristics, attributions, indications, pharmacological actions and administrations of Chinese materia medica. The topic ¡° Action¡± collects the modern clinical experiences, the latest achievements in pharmacology and some chemical components with practical value both at home and abroad.

This book has its own specific features, and it not only insists on the special system of theory in Chinese medicine and pharmacy and clinical experiences but also absorbs the new achievements of modern research. It also puts stress on characteristics of herbs, so as to make readers identify the qualities, the true or the false, virtues and defects.

We hereby extend our thanks to Mr. Yang Fu, chief librarian of Guangzhou College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, for his great help in the compilation of this book. 

Contents

Guide to the Use of the Handbook

Chinese Entries in Stroke Number

English Entries in Alphabetic Order

Text

Index

I.           Classification of Actions of Medicines in Chinese

II.         Classification of Actions of Medicines in English